The Weak Link

We live under the illusion that persons who are developmentally challenged, handicapped or mentally ill are too incompetent to be useful.  We also see the older generation as too old to be useful.This is harming our society as it sends our culture towards engaging in the dangerous trend of devaluing others. We disregard sections of society which cannot compete or produce. Competing and producing is a tiny part of being human; very tiny! The nature of human beings is made up of many parts. The biggest parts being Spirit and consciousness, heart speak and creativity. This we are currently oppressing. Why I believe that our trend is so dangerous, is because we disregard soul-wisdom.

A community is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore if we think we must get rid of that link to make our society stronger we engage in a foolish idea. Each of these so-called “unproductive and useless” individuals brings wisdom as well as one piece of the Cosmic puzzle to the whole. Without it we cannot gain understanding of the whole picture. All we produce and do will be incomplete and meaningless.

Taking a closer look at the reality of this action brings to the forefront many unfortunate results that are counter-productive for everyone. We have been disregarding the wisdom of the elderly by excluding them from the workforce starting at age fifty. Very few people over fifty are able to secure a descend job if any, if they are out of work. Yet, they are the ones with great experience. Our seventy plus, unless they are highly active, are put into warehouses called nursing homes.

There they have no way to share their experiences and wisdom stories, which would be a great enrichment for our culture and the younger generation. This trend shows that we are a warehousing culture, which of course makes sense if our core value is production. We warehouse our children in daycares. They at least are growing toward being productive, so their plight is not as severe, except that connectedness to family and community is limited.

Developmentally challenged persons may barely be able to add five and five, but they can look into your heart and discern who you really are. They share a pure and simple love, laugh over simple joys and often are ridiculed by their peers as well as us sophisticated folk.

Persons with mental illnesses have gotten their walls and fake masks broken down. They rise out of their ashes, vulnerable but ready to give of their rich experiences. Most often they are rejected because they have let go of these walls and masks. One thing I observed is that it is much easier to talk and be with people who had their walls and masks broken down. One does not need to tiptoe around the pretenses. The conversation goes straight to the heart. For the rest of us that can be a bit scary.

Unless we embrace the wisdom of the vulnerable, we create a heartless one-sided culture that can only engage in competition and production; disregarding all the things the soul needs. If we leave prayer, heart-speak, care, compassion, the arts and that which makes a person whole out of the equation we may be living, but we are soulless – we are the living dead.

Enlightened teachers over centuries (Jesus, Buddha and others) have talked about learning to become awake or alive. We can only be truly awake or alive if we let Spirit and our soul guide us.

Meditation:

Examine your life. What are the three most important things in your life currently? Do these three things make you happy and joyous? Then think of you deepest hopes and dreams, do THEY make you feel truly joyous? (Hopes in dreams in my blog relate to God's calling)

How close are these three important things in your life in relationship to your deepest hopes and dreams ? Are those three things supporting your hopes and dreams or is there a gulf between them? Are you afraid of your dreams?

What can you learn from your insights? Journal!

Biblical Scripture: Mt.8:22

When a disciple chosen to follow Jesus said:“Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him: Let the dead bury their own dead”

© 2012 Angelika Mitchell